User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News
Google
 
Loading

May 16, 2017

* Japan - Retailer's switch from diesel to electric delivery trucks

* Tokyo - Seven-Eleven Japan introducing electric delivery trucks by cost savings
--- Seven-Eleven Japan will introduce electric trucks to deliver products to its stores in order to reduce distribution costs as drivers become more expensive in shorthanded Japan... The electric trucks can reduce the operating costs of delivery vehicles by approximately 40% compared to the diesel ones currently used. By employing electric trucks to deliver goods to its approximately 19,000 stores in Japan, the Seven & i Holdings unit will accelerate the logistics reforms undertaken by the retail sector... The compact electric trucks will start being mass produced by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus as early as this fall. Seven-Eleven is expected to begin operating 25 of the vehicles as soon as this year, mainly in the Tokyo area... 
Tokyo, Japan - The Nikkei Asian Review - May 9, 2017

Labels: ,

posted by Unknown @ 5:06 AM  0 comments

Jan 26, 2017

ELECTRIC TRUCKS & BUSES * USA: A Yale's report

* Connecticut - As electric cars stall, a move to greener trucks and buses

--- Low gasoline prices and continuing performance issues have slowed the growth of electric car sales. But that has not stymied progress in electrifying larger vehicles, including garbage trucks, city buses, and medium-sized trucks used by freight giants like FedEx. But while the adoption of electric cars has been hindered by high prices, limited range, a lack of charging stations, and competition from cheap gasoline, heavier-duty models are undergoing rapid innovation for applications like battery-powered city buses, delivery trucks, freight loaders, and ferries. Experts say that these electric workhorses can play an important role in decarbonizing transport, and could spin off technologies that benefit electric cars, a far larger — and, from a carbon perspective, more important — market. The clang of garbage cans will still probably wake people way too early in the morning. But in Santa Rosa, California, at least, the roaring diesel engine will be quiet, replaced by a silent, electric motor. The electric garbage trucks scheduled to begin rolling there this summer may be less alluring than the sporty vehicles that engineer Ian Wright helped design as co-founder of Tesla Motors...
... And then there is the crucial issue of whether the electricity is being produced by fossil fuels or renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. Overall, the electric grid is growing greener, according to latest International Energy Agency report, which states that around 90 percent of new electricity production in 2015 came from renewable energy sources. Even China has cut its coal use by more than 10 percent since 2011. Still, nearly 70 percent of that country’s electricity is produced from coal. So, while electric vehicles generally have significantly lower emissions than conventional vehicles in places with relatively clean grids, like much of Europe, that is not the case in areas still generating electricity primarily from coal, like China, India, and Australia...
 (Photo by Josh Hittleman - 1. Wrightspeed’s new electric powertrain can be installed as a retrofit to a standard diesel garbage truck, doubling mileage and lowering emissions up to 68 percent) - (Photo - 2. BYD unveiled its first electric double-decker bus earlier this month)  --   New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. - Yale Enviroment 360, by CHERYL KATZ - MARCH 24, 2016

Labels: ,

posted by Unknown @ 6:04 AM  1 comments

Jan 12, 2017

CATENARY TRUCKS * USA: Tested in LA and Long Beach ports

* California - Catenary system poised for one-year test near California Ports

--- The South Coast Air Quality Management District expects to start a one-year test soon of electrified trucking near two of the nation’s largest ports, the leader of the agency’s division overseeing the program said Jan. 8. Joseph Impullitti, program supervisor of Science and Technology Advancement at South Coast Air Quality Management District, or SCAQMD, said a catenary system will be used to power trucks, which resembles the process used for trolley cars, in response to federal and state laws to rid pollution and achieve better fuel efficiency... Testing of the Catenary Truck Project runs a mile-long stretch to and from the ports of Los Angeles and neighboring Long Beach as well as railroad centers in an effort to make the area free or nearly free of nitrogen oxide emissions along a part of California’s Highway 710 that is bogged down with truck traffic... 
(Photo: Scania's truck trying Siemens' catenary system) -- Washington, DC, USA - Transport Topics -  9 Jan 2016

Labels: ,

posted by Unknown @ 5:02 AM  0 comments

Oct 26, 2016

ELECTRIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLES * UK - Businesses will benefit from grants up to £20,000

* England - £4 million boost to help businesses switch vans and trucks to electric

--- The government is committing an additional £4 million to the Plug-In Van grant scheme extending the eligibility to larger electric vehicles... Businesses will now benefit from grants up to £20,000 when switching their large trucks to electric vehicles, Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark announced during a 3 day visit to Japan where he is meeting Japanese automotive companies... The Plug-In Van grant has been available to small commercial vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes since 2012, but sales of new electric vans have remained limited... Electric vans and trucks have significant air quality benefits, as they spend much of their time in towns and city centres and over 96% of them are diesel-powered... The government is now committing an additional £4 million to the scheme so that all vans and trucks meeting the necessary requirements are eligible as part of the drive to reduce carbon emissions from transport use... 
(Photo: UK electric truck maker Modec) -- London, EN, UK - Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, by Hon Greg Clark MP, Department for Transport and Office for Low Emission Vehicles First - 23 October 2016

Labels: , ,

posted by Unknown @ 6:31 AM  0 comments

Sep 24, 2016

Catenary electric trucks * USA: Not energy conservation or efficiency!

* California - 16,000 catenary trucks would use all California’s electricity with only 2400 to 8300 miles of overhead wires


--- It makes sense to electrify trucks since fuel from oil, coal, and natural gas is finite and unsustainable, and biomass doesn’t scale up (and probably has a negative EROI or at best, is close to break-even)... And sustanable electricity generation is impossible without trucks. For example, trucks are needed from start to finish in the life cycle of wind turbines — from the trucks needed to carry the 8,000 components from dozens of factories world-wide to the factory where it is assembled, to the cement and other trucks that prepare the wind turbine site and take the wind turbine to its destination, and to build and maintain the roads... Since without trucks, civilization shuts down within a week, there is no higher priority than keeping trucks running... So it is very important to see if trucks can be electrified, or if a 100% renewable electric is even possible, or there’s no point in using the remaining fossil energy to build windmills, solar PV, nuclear, and other electricity generating installations. If trucks can’t be electrified and/or a 100% renewable grid isn’t possible, the remaining fossil energy would be better spent on energy conservation, insulation, conversion of industrial farms to organic agriculture, smaller and more widely spread grain storage facilities, passive solar homes and buildings, lower speed limits, and so on... Scaling that up to 20,000 heavy-duty freight trucks that run just seconds apart, if that is even possible (we don’t know yet), is so energy-intensive that very few stretches of roads could be electrified...
 (Photo Siemens Mobility: Proposed catenary system for I-710 zero-emissions corridor) -- CAL, USA - Resilience - 20 Sept 2015

Labels: ,

posted by Unknown @ 5:32 AM  0 comments

Sep 4, 2016

ELECTRIC LONG-HAUL TRUCKS * USA: The most profitable ones now ?

* California - Heavy long-haul trucks are the kings of fuel consumption


... That’s why they are the best target for electrification from an economic standpoint. A 40-ton long-haul truck driving at 60 mph uses eight to 13 gallons of diesel per hour, according to a comprehensive survey from Sweden. This is $20 to $30 per hour, or in places like Britain, where the cost of diesel is higher, $40 to $60 per hour. This makes fuel costs higher than a driver’s salary on a per-hour basis, and is the largest percentage cost item for trucking companies on a monthly basis. If fuel costs can be cut in half by switching to electricity, electrification can be very interesting indeed for a truck operator... With the price of gas so low in the U.S., it could take more than a decade to recoup the higher cost of an electric car through the price savings of electricity over gasoline... The technology for this is already available. Battery trucks with a 120-mile range also exist. Automated charging stations like the Opbrid Trůkbaar are proven... So, if electrifying long-haul trucks is so profitable and technically easy to do, what’s the holdup? Change is always hard, but if profitability is at stake, it always arrives sooner rather than later... 
San Francisco, CAL, USA - Trucks.com - SEPT 1, 2016

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 12:15 PM  0 comments

Jun 10, 2016

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY FOR TRUCKS * USA - Energy savings on trash trucks

* Nevada - Trucks with a powertrain built by Wrightspeed
-- Garbage trucks are among the dirtiest trucks cities have. The more refuse they clean from the streets, the more pollution they may add to the atmosphere... One possible solution for reducing this pollution was at the WasteExpo, a waste management and recycling conference held Tuesday through Thursday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Mack Trucks, a North Carolina-based manufacturing company, paired one of its trucks with a powertrain built by Wrightspeed, a company started by Tesla co-founder Ian Wright... Wright describes a powertrain as the parts of a vehicle that make it move, such as the engine, electric motors and range extender... The Route 1000 Powertrain Electric Drive System is built with garbage trucks in mind. Because garbage trucks use brakes extensively, Wrightspeed added a regenerative braking system to reduce wear and extend brakes’ life. Other energy-saving features include 24 miles of range on storage batteries, LED lighting, a battery cooling system and a Fulcrum Turbine Generator that can burn diesel or natural gas to extend the driving range... Wright said garbage trucks can become up to 700 pounds lighter, depending on the size of the battery pack, with an efficient power train. Wrightspeed engineer Nicholas Liotta said garbage trucks also become quieter and cleaner than their conventional diesel engine counterparts, because they don’t require their engine turbines to be on as much... 
(Image: A Mack Truck eletrified by Wrightspeed)   --   Las Vegas, NEV, USA - The Las Vegas Review-Journal, by Rocio Hernandez - June 8, 2016


 * Indiana - New technology on Borden garbage trucks means less pollution, noise

--- Hydraulics store energy when garbage trucks brake and release it when they accelerate, cutting fuel consumption and noise from squealing brakes... Borden Waste-Away announced this week that its fleet of garbage trucks is using the new iNTELLIDRIVE system, which was developed by Stored Energy Solutions. The new system will cut fuel costs and increase the efficiency of the trucks, said Chris Himes, president of Borden Waste-Away... Garbage trucks spend hours each day stopping and accelerating repeatedly between customers, especially in residential neighborhoods. That wastes a lot of energy with starting a heavy duty truck from a dead stop and stopping again... The iNTELLIDRIVE system uses hydraulics to store energy when garbage trucks brake and then release it when trucks accelerate. Himes said the recycled energy reduces the need to run the engine at full power, which exhaust emissions by 90 percent. The trucks' engines can run at idle speed, significant reducing fuel consumption... 
(Truth Photo by J. Tyler Klassen/AP - A Borden Waste Away truck picks up trash along Indiana Ave. Friday afternoon 9/17/2010. As city officials plan the next budget they are considering ways to pay for trash collection) -- Elkhart, IND, USA - The Elkhart Truth, by Alexandra Smith - June 9, 2016

Labels: , ,

posted by Unknown @ 8:14 AM  0 comments

Sep 3, 2015

FUTURE of the TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Europe: Siemens new eHighway

* Munich / Germany - Siemens’ new eHighway offers an unexpected road to clean shipping

-- Why Siemens is using old technology to solve modern shipping problems... In June, Siemens announced a partnership with Swedish transit authorities for the second pilot study of a new way to electrify highway freight shipping... It’s sort of new—dubbed eHighway, the system powers trucks through overhead wires transmitted to moving vehicles, a method that has worked for streetcars for more than a century... eHighway is one of the only currently viable possibilities for electrification of freight trucking. Though freight trucks are similar in weight to the all-electric buses already in operation, trucks face several specific hurdles to electrification. Batteries’ weight would cut directly into trucks’ profitability, and so would stopping to charge. Even as battery costs decline, neither of those limiting factors will change... Martin Birkner, head of the eHighway project, says that despite those obstacles, a number of broader factors make electrified trucking worth pursuing. While trains have an edge in efficiency, trucks are far more flexible. And in some areas, much of Sweden included, rail infrastructure is already at or near maximum capacity, a situation that will become more common as global shipping volumes grow... By partially electrifying existing highways, eHighway could balance the flexibility of trucks and the efficiency of trains. Trucks in the Swedish demonstration, like those in a demonstration route already operating outside of Los Angeles, will be electric-fossil fuel hybrids. They can connect to the electrified lines along main routes, then disconnect and reach their final destinations on diesel power... The connections and disconnections are performed at full speed, using a specially engineered version of the familiar overhead connector. Modern versions are already in use on everything from buses to light rail to mine trucks... Demand for such systems may be driven by local regulation and policy goals, such as Sweden’s goal of achieving a zero-emissions transit fleet by 2030. The consulting group Gladstein, Neandross and Associates, however, did conclude that for short-range operation, such as near ports, electrified trucks could actually be cheaper to operate than their diesel siblings—particularly where the cost of gasoline is highest relative to the cost of grid electricity... 
(Photo courtesy of Siemens AG - A demonstration version of Seimens' catenary truck power system, eHighway)   --  Munich, Germany - Fortune, by David Z. Morris - AUGUST 31, 2015

Labels: , ,

posted by Unknown @ 12:16 PM  0 comments

Aug 5, 2015

CARS ELECTRIFICATION * USA: Tesla executive presses GM, said stop building compliance cars

* California - Tesla Executive presses auto makers on electrification

-- Tesla Motors Inc. came to a conference here with a tough message for other auto makers: stop building compliance cars... An executive at the Silicon Valley electric-car maker on Tuesday bemoaned the inability of General Motors Co. and other manufacturers to have better success selling their own battery-powered vehicles... Instead, most other auto makers are producing electric cars to meet minimum regulatory standards while continuing to build and sell less-efficient gas-engine vehicles in droves, said Diarmuid O’Connell, Tesla’s vice president of business development... Mr. O’Connell said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal the problem for other companies is a lack of “compelling product” in showrooms. Other electric cars tend to be more utilitarian with uninspiring designs and a focus on low cost, he said... 
(Photo from Bloomberg - A Tesla Motors Inc. Model S P85D vehicle sits plugged in at a charging station near a Texaco Inc. gas station in Nephi, Utah, on April 7)  --  Traverse City, MICH, USA - THE WSJ, by MIKE SPECTOR - Aug. 4, 2015

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 10:17 AM  0 comments

Jul 3, 2014

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA: Driving on electricity

* The Worlds First Extended-Range Electric Truck
Orem,UT,USA -VIA MOTORS -PR- 2 July 2014: -- The eREV powertrain by VIA enables larger vehicles, including vans and light trucks, to drive the first 40 miles in all-electric mode with near zero emissions, and a full range of 400 miles on a single fill-up. For most drivers, this means over 100 mpg in typical local daily driving. It’s exciting to drive — with more low-end torque. The electric truck performs as well as or better than the comparable gas version... Efficient use of batteries... With 75% of drivers averaging less than 40 miles a day, most electric vehicles carry extra weight in costly batteries—VIA has optimized its battery pack, carrying only what’s needed for most days. VIA’s eREV truck generates its own electricity on longer trips using the onboard range extender...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 9:25 AM  0 comments

Jan 8, 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - Truck sales fall in December

* DC - US car makers report disappointing December sales 

Washington,DC,USA -Bbc News/The Daily Star -January 08, 2014: -- General Motors (GM) has reported a fall in car sales in December in what was a disappointing month for US car makers... GM shares fell 2.4 percent after it reported a 6.3 percent fall in sales compared with December 2012... Ford and Chrysler both reported rising sales, but not the increases that industry analysts were expecting... Chrysler sold 161,000 cars and trucks in December, up 5.7 percent on the same period in 2012 and Ford reported a 1.8 percent rise in December sales... Analysts said that poor weather in parts of the US kept customers away from dealerships in December... Truck sales tend to increase in relation to home sales, which were strong for much of the year as the US economic recovery spurred long-delayed housing activity...


* New York - Plug gains on U.S. funding to boost range of electric trucks 

NY,USA -Bloomberg, by Christopher Martin -Jan 7, 2014: -- Plug Power Inc. (PLUG), a maker of fuel-cells for warehouse forklifts, rose to a 32-month high after winning U.S. Energy Department funding to adapt its systems to extend the range of electric trucks... The Energy Department will provide $3 million for Plug to develop hydrogen fuel cells for 20 FedEx Corp. (FDX) delivery trucks built by Smith Electric Vehicles Corp., Latham, New York-based Plug said today in a statement... The hybrid trucks will use 10-kilowatt fuel cell systems that double the 80-mile (129-kilometer) range of their lithium-ion batteries. Boosting the range will make the trucks viable for additional applications and may spur wider demand for vehicles that don’t require fossil fuels... Plug has quadrupled since it said Dec. 4 that cost reductions and increasing orders may generate a profit this year after 14 years of losses...

Labels: , ,

posted by Unknown @ 7:28 AM  0 comments

Aug 8, 2013

ELECTRIC VEHICLES * UK

* England - Land Rover's first Electric Defender put through its paces

(Image: An Electric Defender is the subject of an ongoing Land Rover research program known as the 'Eden Project') 
Cornwall,England,UK -Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -August 8, 2013: -- Earlier this year, Land Rover announced it would be electrifying a Defender... The first Electric Defender began its real world tests this past month... The Electric Defender showed its worth by hauling a 12-tonne road train up a 6 percent inc... The research project is meant to explore electric power as an option for off-road vehicles... One of the many trials at Cornwall designed to put the first Electric Defender’s pulling power to the test saw it hauling a 12-tonne (13-ton) road train made up of four trailers stuffed with 60 Eden Project visitors. The vehicle showed its electric worth by marching its way up a test incline with a 6 percent grade. But the Defender 110, known as the “All Terrain Electric Research Vehicle,” still has enough power to hit 70 mph (112 km/h) while retaining its status as a serious off-roader...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 7:50 AM  0 comments

Jul 16, 2013

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA

* USA - Environmental, but not green, savings from electric trucks

Atlanta,GA,USA -Fleet Owner, by Brian Straight -Jul. 11, 2013: -- Study finds TCO of electric trucks is similar to diesel counterparts with the best ROI coming in low speed, urban applications... For fleets expecting improved total cost of ownership (TCO) when purchasing an electric truck, a new study suggests that may not always be the case. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that while electric trucks provide a definitive energy efficiency advantage, TCO for an electric truck vs. a diesel-powered model may not result in the price advantage fleets expect... The authors concluded that “the total cost of ownership of the electric and diesel trucks are similar.” Using regression analysis, the study noted that “relative TCO is most sensitive to the diesel truck’s fuel consumption (or fuel economy), VKT, and diesel fuel price scenario. Almost in the same degree, the [net present value] of TCO differential is sensitive to battery replacement, battery price and EVSE price...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 7:23 AM  0 comments

Nov 21, 2012

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA & Canada

* Illinois - Chicago to electrify trash truck fleet

(Photo: At 52,000 pounds, these all-electric trucks will be the biggest pure EVs on American roads, and it will be interesting to see how the city of Chicago's program pans out)
Chicago,ILL,USA -Truck News (CAN) -Nov 19, 2012: -- The city of Chicago will deploy the heaviest electric trucks in the US, as it deploys 20 Class 8 electric vehicle refuse trucks... The trucks will weigh 52,000 lbs and have a range of 60 miles... They’ll be powered by Motiv Power Systems, using its electric powertrain control system (ePCS)... The five-year contract is worth US$13.4 million... The ePCS system uses off-the-shelf batteries and motors and can handle trucks ranging from medium-duty to Class 8, weighing 15,000-52,000 lbs. The city of Chicago expects the trucks to reduce operating cost by 50% over an eight-year period...

Labels: ,

posted by Unknown @ 7:13 AM  0 comments

Sep 25, 2012

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA & UK

* California - Smith Cancels Battery-Powered Truck Offer on Valuation 

San Francisco,CAL,USA -Bloomberg, by Andrew Herndon and Philip Lagerkranser -Sep 20, 2012: -- Smith Electric Vehicles Corp., the maker of battery-powered commercial trucks, scrapped an $80 million initial public offering after failing to get a high enough valuation... The company and existing owners had offered 4.45 million shares for $16 to $18 apiece. Smith announced it was pulling the Nasdaq Stock Market IPO today and said it will “pursue private financing opportunities.” Smith says its vehicles have lower operating costs than diesel-powered trucks and will appeal to customers seeking a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels... Smith is focused on the U.S., Europe and China, where there are about 6 million medium-duty trucks on the road, said during the company’s IPO roadshow...


* Virginia - Taxpayer-Funded Electric Vehicle Maker Needs IPO Cash to Survive 

Falls Church,VA,USA -NLPC, by Paul Chesser -12 Sept 2012: -- Smith Electric Vehicles, which is using $32 million in taxpayer stimulus to practically give away its delivery trucks to corporations like Frito-Lay (owned by PepsiCo), Coca-Cola and Staples, is hemorrhaging money anyway and now is looking to an initial public offering to pay off debts and try to survive... The Kansas City Star reported last week that Smith cut its production expectations and warning it is running low on cash, citing filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company announced nearly a year ago it would seek $125 million through an IPO, but now says it hopes to raise about $76 million at a stock price of $16 to $18, according to a Kansas City Business Journal report...  Good luck with that... Smith-U.S. now seems to think an IPO of its own will act as a life preserver for the company, or at least keep it viable until perhaps a bargain hunter comes along to save the day, also similar to what A123’s executives hoped. That prospect is increasingly unlikely, so, buyer beware...


* UK - Effectiveness of electric vehicle grants questioned

Peterborough,EN,UK -Fleet News -20 Sept 2012: -- Government grants to drive the uptake of electric cars and vans are benefitting only a handful of motorists and may not be proving effective... Launching a new report from the Transport Select Committee on the Government’s plug-in vehicle strategy, committee chair, Louise Ellman, questioned whether the scheme was a good use of taxpayers’ cash... The latest figures available from the Department for Transport reveal that 1,706 claims have been made through the Plug-in Car Grant scheme while just 99 claims have been made through the Plug-in Van Grant scheme...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 12:14 PM  1 comments

Sep 8, 2012

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA

* California - Navistar gains as truck maker weighs options 

San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Matt Andrejczak -Sept. 6, 2012: -- Shares of truck maker Navistar International, which has faced pressure from activist Carl Icahn and other top shareholders, surged 7% to $21.76 Thursday morning. Navistar reported an $84 million profit for the quarter ended July 31, which exceeded Wall Street's expectations. Navistar also said it was reviewing "all of its non-core businesses" to help shore up profitability. The company further said it was cutting costs through employee buyouts and workforce reductions...

* Comment - Will This Embattled Truck Maker Survive? 

 New York,NY,USA -The Motley Fool, by Daniel Ferry -September 7, 2012: -- It's been a rough year for Navistar International. The truck and engine manufacturer has been steadily losing market share, under EPA scrutiny over the production of engines that don't meet 2010 emissions standards. Now, facing a daunting turnaround effort, Navistar must race to come out with its own compliant engine technology and re-establish its reputation before its competitors capture its customers... Recently, the EPA nearly doubled the fines it was charging Navistar for non-compliant engines. Under the weight of these fines, Navistar will abandon its own 15-liter engine technology and adopt that of rival engine maker Cummins. The bright side is that the EPA didn't apply the new fine retroactively to previous engines. That could have bankrupted the company, and the prospect alone pushed Navistar's share price near five-year lows. Now, with at least the short-term survival of the company more secure, is Navistar a good value investment -- or a value trap?...

* Illinois - Navistar Criticizes Icahn’s ‘Unproductive Tactics’ 

Warrensville,ILL,USA -Bloomberg News, by Mark Clothier / Jeff Green -September 10, 2012: -- Navistar International Corp., which ousted its chief executive officer amid an inquiry from regulators and a failed engine strategy, called billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s threat of a proxy fight “unproductive” ... Icahn yesterday raised the prospect of a proxy fight, calling the truckmaker a “poster child for abysmal business decisions and poor corporate governance,” in a letter to Navistar’s board...

* DC - Navistar Pulls JLTV Protest

Washington,DC,USA -AOL Defense, by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. -September 4, 2012: -- Truck maker Navistar is withdrawing the protest it filed Friday with the Government Accountability Office over the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, company spokeswoman Elissa Koc told AOL Defense this morning...Had Navistar persisted, its protest probably would have delayed JLTV development for months while the GAO investigated whether the military ran the competition fairly.The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is a $15-billion-plus effort by the Army and Marine Corps to replace many -- not all -- of their vulnerable Humvees and unmaneuverable MRAPs with almost 55,000 well-armored but agile new trucks. The military awarded $187 million in engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) contracts on Aug. 22 to three firms: aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, truck maker Oshkosh, and Humvee maker AM General. Rejected were bids from BAE, General Dynamics, and Navistar -- although Navistar says it may still develop its design further on its own dime and compete for the production contract when it comes up for bid in 2015...


* Missouri - Electric-truck maker burns through cash

(Photo from SEC Filing: Smith Electric Trucks)
Kansas,MISS,USA -Upstart, by Kent Bernhard Jr. -September 5, 2012: -- The trucks Smith Electric makes for iconic companies like Coca-Cola may not burn gas. But the Kansas City manufacturer is burning through cash in advance of a planned initial public offering.Smith Electric's troubles reflect the larger growing pains across the U.S. electric vehicle market that, together, throw into question the viability of attempts to create an American auto industry without the internal combustion engine...  Smith Electric, according to revised paperwork filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission:Is losing money and doesn't expect to make a profit before the before 2013... Has borrowed $11.5 million to keep operating through September. Has reduced its production targets for the year to 380 from 620...


* Michigan - Ford reveals shape of new Transit van

Dearborn,MICH,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Sep. 6, 2012: -- Ford Motor Co. revealed the new look and shape of its global commercial van platform today in Amsterdam, taking the wraps off its all-new full-size Transit commercial van – due to be introduced in the North American market next year – as well as a redesigned and updated version of its compact Transit Connect van...    Only “subtle” exterior changes will mark the difference between the European and North American versions of the Transit van – a vehicle that will feature Ford’s new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 gasoline engine along with others, as well as an optional diesel powertrain...

Labels: ,

posted by Unknown @ 7:48 AM  0 comments

Aug 29, 2012

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA

* Texas - Hybrids, electrics moving some big trucks - slowly 

(Photo: Freightliner Electric Truck)
Dallas,TX,USA -The Dallas Morning News, by Terry Box -August 26, 2012: ... Once the soot-belching, big-foot monsters of the highway, giant commercial trucks are slowly becoming more eco-friendly — out of necessity... Commercial trucks — ranging from growling 80,000-pound tractor-trailer rigs to much smaller delivery trucks — face the same head winds that continue to reshape the auto industry... Diesel fuel doubled in price four years ago. Although it has dropped some, costs remain as volatile as gas prices... In addition, federal regulations will require big trucks, many of which average only 6 or 7 miles per gallon, to improve their economy and emissions by 3 percent in 2014 and another 3 percent in 2017... Most truck manufacturers expect to meet the 2014 standards with relatively minor revisions. But the requirements in 2017 and beyond may be a challenge... As in the car world, hybrids are a hard sell. They cost $20,000 to $30,000 more than an average $100,000 truck... Typically, a hybrid powertrain will bump up a big truck's fuel economy from about 6 miles per gallon to 7 or 8 mpg, officials said...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 4:59 AM  0 comments

Aug 16, 2012

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA

* California - Frito-Lay expands all-electric delivery truck fleet

(Photo)
CAL,USA -Fleet Owner, by Deborah Whistler -Aug. 15, 2012: -- Frito-Lay’s California electric truck fleet is growing and once all of the new vehicles are deployed by the end of this year, California will be home to 105 all-electric delivery trucks, the largest deployment in any state... The initial rollout of all-electric trucks in California has already eliminated the need for an estimated 50,000 gals. of fuel and 1 million lbs. of greenhouse gases, according to Frito-Lay. When all 105 trucks are deployed, Frito-Lay expects to eliminate 200,000 gals. of fuel and nearly 4.5 million lbs. of greenhouse gases annually in the state of California... 

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 7:59 AM  0 comments

Jun 8, 2012

ELECTRIC PICKUP TRUCKS * USA

* Virginia - Quantum to Demonstrate Its Plug-In Hybrid Electric F-150 Pick-Up Truck

(Photo)
Williamsburg,VA,USA -Electric Cars Report -June 4, 2012: -- Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., announced that it will demonstrate its clean, fuel efficient, Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) F-150 pickup truck to nation’s leading fleet managers at the 2012 Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference (EUFMC) in Williamsburg, Virginia, June 2-6, 2012... Last week, Quantum has delivered the first pilot version of its PHEV F-150 pickup truck to Florida Power and Light Company, in association with Dow Kokam, the lithium-ion battery system supplier for the PHEV F-150...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 11:01 AM  0 comments

Apr 25, 2012

ELECTRIC TRUCKS * USA

* Kansas/USA - Smith Electric Vehicles’ losses grow in 2011 

Kansas City,KS,USA -The Kansas City Business Journal, by David Twiddy -April 5, 2012: -- Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp. saw losses multiply last year even as it continued to ramp up production... The all-electric truck maker lost $52.5 million in 2011, compared with $30.3 million in losses the year before, the Kansas City-based company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late Wednesday... Revenue from vehicle sales and maintenance rose 40 percent to $49.9 million...

Labels:

posted by Unknown @ 12:07 PM  0 comments